Clans of Mountain Valley: The First
by Spirit of Light and Darkness
Summary: There are two groups of Clans and one that stands alone: the Lake Clans, the Hidden Clans, and SkyClan. But once, there were the Clans of Mountain Valley. Twice they were nearly destroyed; the third time, they were. But this is the story of the first time, and of the first hero, the one to prove to the Mountain Valley Clans that blood did not make a warrior. On Hiatus... Again.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey,**

**First and foremost, this is probably going to be the only time you will ever see an A/N from me at the beginning of a chapter, and in fact, most likely the only A/N you will ever read that is directly from me. Second of all, I'm sure something very similar has been done at least twice before on this site in this fandom, but I am going to be writing this story in a slightly different way. It's actually a story – a "true" one – that a queen is telling her kits, as you will read. There will at least one interruption where the "scene" changes to the queen and kits per chapter. Thirdly, I am going to be updating this once a week, sometimes more often. I will most likely post the second chapter later today or tomorrow. And… I think that's all. I hope you like it. More info at the "A/N" at the bottom. **

**- Spirit of Light and Darkness**

/ \ / \

Foxstep laid curled around her three kits, all wide awake and showing no inclination to go to sleep in the near future.

"Kits, your mother is tired. Rest so she can, please."

"No!" protested Sparrowkit. "We don't wanna go to sleep!"

"Uh-uh!" agreed Ashkit.

"But… We'll go to sleep if you tell us a story first. Won't you mama?" Berrykit mewed, batting her eyes pleadingly.

Foxstep sighed. "Okay, ONE story. Which one would you like?"

"The one about Whitestar and her saving the Clans!" Ashkit squeaked, while her littermates nodded eagerly.

Foxstep sighed again, wishing her brood could've chosen a shorter one. "Very well, but after this you must promise to go to sleep."

The kits nodded again.

Foxstep purred affectionately, and wrapped her tail tighter around her young ones. "Once upon a time, in a cave far, far away, there lived a she-cat; a she-kit, really," she began.

/ \ / \

Once upon a time, in a cave far, far away, there lived a she-cat; a she-kit, really. A tiny she-kit, runt of the litter, with pure white fur like the snow on the mountain, and amber eyes that blazed like wildfire.

The she-kit had no name, for she had been abandoned at birth and there were none around to name her.

The cave the she-kit lived in was hollowed into the side of a mountain; a single, enormous peak that rose in the midst of a valley. In the valley, there lived three groups of cats, that called themselves warriors, queens, elders, deputies, kits, apprentices, medicine cats and leaders. They called their groups, Clans, and the valley, Mountain Valley.

Many eagles lived on the mountain, nesting in crags, and hunting from the prey-filled forest and hills on the valley's floor. Each sunset, an eagle would drop a rabbit on the small rocky outcropping at the mouth of the cave, and the she-kit would eat until she could eat no more. The following sunrise, any remains left would be gone.

The she-kit had been abandoned in the cave when she was only a few weeks old, but time passed, as always, and soon she was six moons old. Just the right age to be apprenticed – if she was a Clan cat, that is.

With her growing came the longing to wander, to explore beyond the stone walls of her cave and see what the world had to offer. Now, when the she-kit sat on her rocky outcropping, she no longer gazed at the clouds and the sky and the sun, but instead looked down, into the valley. Sometimes she fancied to herself that she could see other cats, on the bare hills where no trees blocked her view.

One day, the she-kit made her decision, to leave. She waited until sunset, although she would rather have been able to travel with the light of day, for she knew she needed the strength of the offered prey to descend the mountain alone.

An eagle dropped the prey just as the sun set, as usual, and the she-kit quickly devoured it, hungrier at the thought of the journey she was about to set on. She ate all the meat, telling herself she would be grateful for the energy later. And then, she set out on her journey.

Down and down the stony trails the she-kit went, her paws bruised by stones and her fur tangled by wind. Her tail, at first held high, drooped to the ground by the time she passed the halfway point, needing all the strength of her tiny body to carry on.

Finally, she reached the end of the path and fell into a shuddering crouch, pushing off and landing on the grass with a surprised yelp as her feet slipped out from her paws. The sun was rising, peeking its bright rays over the further mountains, surrounding the edges of the valley. Too exhausted to go any further, the she-kit let her head fall back to the ground, and fell asleep as the sun's beams brushed against her fur, warming away the chill of night.

/ \ / \

"Then what happened?" Sparrowkit asked.

Foxstep narrowed her eyes slightly. "Listen, and I'll tell you. If you interrupt me every time I take a breath, we'll never finish this."

"Sorry," Sparrowkit meowed, looking absolutely, positively, not-sorry-at-all.

"The she-kit slept for a long time, until it was past sunhigh…."

/ \ / \

The she-kit slept for a long time, until it was past sunhigh, when she was awakened by a trill of birdsong. Startled, she looked around, wondering what happened to her cave. Then she remembered where she was.

Turning her head towards the sound, she saw a cardinal perched on a low-hanging branch of an oak tree. She studied it curiously, considering trying to catch it, but she was still full from her large meal of rabbit the previous day. So she turned away again.

Looking around, the she-kit wondered which way she should go. Not west, for the mountain stood in her way and it would take too long to go around it. To the north, there was a forest of mostly pines and oaks. To the south, there were rolling hills of grass, and no trees. And to the east, there was a lake, sparkling in the sunlight. Beyond that, she was pretty sure she could make out some willow trees, but it was too far to be sure.

/ \ / \

"Ooh! This is where she makes the choice that determines which Clan she ends up in!" Berrykit mewed excitedly.

"What's on the west side of the mountain?" Ashkit wanted to know. "If there are only three Clans, and she can see all of their territories from where she is…."

"First of all, the mountain is to the west side of the valley, not completely centered," Foxstep explained. "And she only sees a small part of PineClan and HillClan's territories. There are more hills and more woods behind the mountain."

"Oh, okay," Ashkit nodded, understanding.

"Can we continue with the story now?" Sparrowkit grumped. "I want to know which Clan she picks!"

"Don't you already know?" Ashkit pointed out. "We've heard this story before, mousebrain."

"WE have," Sparrowkit argued. "But the readers haven't, and the Spirit of Light and Darkness may want to let the readers decide on which Clan she-who-must-not-be-named should join."

"We ALL know that her name is going to be Whitekit, you don't have to call her she-who-must-not-be-named," Berrykit pointed out. "Still, you have a point, brother. The readers should at least get input, even if they do not get to make the final decision."

"Right, so back to the story?"

"Afraid not, Ashkit," Sparrowkit meowed. "We're going to have to take five to give all our wonderful readers a chance to review and give suggestions for WillowClan vs. PineClan vs. HillClan, along with feedback, of course."

"And don't forget about OCs," Ashkit added. "If they could help us fill in the allegiances for the three Clans by giving us, oh, let's say: name, gender, rank, appearance, personality and other…"

"Then that would be very helpful," finished Berrykit.

"Since my kits apparently decided to do everything else, I'll do the disclaimer. The Spirit of Light and Darkness owns us and her Clans and she-who-must-not-be-named; sorry, Berrykit, it catches on; but she does not own Warriors. Yet. Until she finishes her domination plans and takes over the world. Then, well….. she'll own everything," Foxstep meowed.

"GOODBYE! UNTIL NEXT TIME! REVIEW PLEASE!" The kits chorused. "And…. SCENE!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Looking around, the she-kit wondered which way she should go. Not west, for the mountain stood in her way and it would take too long to go around it. To the north, there was a forest of mostly pines and oaks. To the south, there were rolling hills of grass, and no trees. And to the east, there was a lake, sparkling in the sunlight. Beyond that, she was pretty sure she could make out some willow trees, but it was too far to be sure._

Not to the east, the she-kit decided. She didn't have the time to go around the lake. That left north and south. North would be more reasonable – trees meant cover and prey – but something seemed to beckon her towards the hills. "Then that's where I'll go," she meowed to herself, and set off, trotting at a steady pace. She wanted to make it – well, she didn't know quite where, but she wanted to make it to _someplace_ – before nightfall.

Her way was easy-going. The grasses were tall, but parted easily before her, and the sun's rays warmed her pelt. She could smell faint scents of rabbit, that grew stronger occasionally, letting her know she was near a burrow.

So the she-kit was walking, on and on, over the endless knolls, when she heard a scuffling noise.

She immediately froze, not daring to so much as twitch her tail.

Slowly and carefully, the she-kit lowered herself into a crouch, creeping forward on soft pawsteps. She could see the grass trembling slightly, warning of the potential enemy it concealed.

_Oomph!_

A dark brown blur slammed into the she-kit and knocked her over. The two cats spun over and over, until finally the attacker leapt away, panting, with mussed fur.

Jumping to her paws, the she-kit studied her attacker warily. It was another she-kit, a dark brown one with huge green eyes.

"Hello," the newcomer meowed, licking a paw. "Sorry about that. For a second I thought you were a PineClan mangepelt!" At her last words, she snarled, baring her teeth. "I'm Soilkit."

The she-kit relaxed slightly, but her eyes remained narrow in suspicion. "Hi. I don't have a name – no one ever was there to name me. What's PineClan?"

Soilkit spat angrily. "PineClan is one of the three Clans of Mountain Valley. They live in the forest, among the pines. WillowClan lives in the willows on the other side of the lake, and I live in HillClan. Our camp is nearby. But why wasn't there anyone there to name you?"

"I was abandoned when I was young; I don't remember my parents. What's a Clan?" The she-kit asked.

"A Clan is a group of cats that live together. There is a leader, who is in charge; a deputy, who is second in charge; a medicine cat, who heals and receives omens; warriors, who fight and hunt and protect the Clan; apprentices, who are warriors-in-training; elders, who are retired warriors; queens, who are mothers; and kits, like me. Since you don't have a name, mind if I call you Whitekit?"

The newly named Whitekit purred at her new friend. "Of course not. Whitekit. I like it. Do all kits' names end in –kit?"

"Yes," Soilkit told her. "And apprentices end in –paw. Warriors have different endings and leaders end in –star."

/ \ / \

"Wait," Berrykit interrupted. "If Soilkit is just a kit, how come she is out of camp? Mama, why can't _we_ go out of camp?"

"Because," Foxstep replied. "Soilkit wasn't _supposed _to be away from the camp and her mother. She snuck out. Something that I'm sure you three will _never_ do."

"Yes, Mama," the kits chorused – obediently, if not sincerely.

"Anyway…. The two she-kits sat there for a long while…."

/ \ / \

The two kits sat there for a long while. Finally Soilkit blurted out, "So, want to join HillClan?"

Whitekit was surprised. "Can I?"

This stumped the brown she-kit for a moment. "Hmm…" she thought aloud. "Normally only Clanborn can be in a Clan, but you don't have anywhere else to go, do you?"

Whitekit shook her head. "Not really. I don't think I could make it back up the mountain to my cave, where I used to live."

"Then I don't think Harestar would turn you away. He's pretty fair. Besides, the Clan needs more cats. Sunpetal lost her kits to greencough a moon ago, and Fogwind – she's our medicine cat – is worried that Rabbitclaw is too weak, that her kits will be stillborn. I'm not supposed to know, but I heard her talking to my mother, Breezewhisper."

"Greencough?"

"An awful sickness that comes in leaf-bare," Soilkit mewed. "Rabbitclaw is weak because she got wounded recently in a battle with PineClan. Mother says she doesn't have the strength to heal because she is going to have kits so she is always tired. Anyway, we better hurry back to camp. I'm not exactly supposed to be out here – kits aren't allowed to leave until they become apprentices, when they're roughly six moons old. But I'm five and three quarters, and Volekit – that's my brother – thinks that we're going to be made apprentices any day now…. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Whitekit purred again. "A little bit."

Soilkit looked downcast. "Sorry. Apparently I do that a lot, or at least everyone always tells me that. _I _think what I say is interesting though. I like details. Well, like I said, we better get back. Follow me!"

And then the she-kit was off, bounding lightly and easily. Whitekit stared for a moment, impressed by her friend's speed, and then took off after her. At first she had trouble keeping pace, but then she saw how Soilkit was running – short bounds, keeping her legs tucked in, and gradually lengthening her stride – and copied her. So the sun began to set again, this time on not the she-kit, but on Whitekit, as she followed Soilkit to the leader that would decide her destiny.

/ \ / \

"Ooh!" Ashkit squeaked. "What happens next?"

"The end of the chapter happens next," Foxstep told her gently. "The Spirit has decided to pause here and ask for more reviews. She would like to thank guest reviewer Pondfoot154 very much for being the first to review this story, and for submitting a deputy for HillClan. The Spirit also just realized that Briarclaw looks similar to Soilkit, so she has decided to make him her and Volekit's father, and Breezewhisper's mate."

"Aww, I wanted to hear more…." Sparrowkit complained.

"Well, why don't you go check out the Spirit of Light and Darkness's other story, The Hidden Clans: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. It only has one chapter up, but she plans to update soon," Berrykit suggested.

"Or her oneshot There Was A Greater Chance Of for BlazeClan's third challenge," Ashkit added. "Although, of course, you can read about US in Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. And I'm the main character!"

"Pssh, whatever," Berrykit mewed. "My life gets to 'hang in the balance'. It says so in the summary! And you better not end up making a decision that makes me die."

Sparrowkit huffed as his littermates began to argue. "Well… bye! See you next chapter! Oh, and this is no longer on hiatus – the Spirit has decided to try writing this and Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust at the same time. She thinks she can manage it. I disagree. We'll see…. Oh, rhyme!"


End file.
